Era of Magic and Martial Arts-Chapter 233 - 217: The Beginning

Feng Mu nodded, without explaining: "Yes."

Tian Tao’s anger seemed further provoked by this sentence, he laughed in fury, a hint of ferocity in his voice:

"Didn’t I warn you to collect every penny and not drag down the whole team?"

Feng Mu’s expression remained calm, nodding again: "Yes."

Tian Tao’s brows furrowed tightly, veins bulging on his forehead, and he suddenly reached out, forcefully grabbing Feng Mu’s collar and giving it a tug.

A harsh tearing sound resounded, ripping a corner of Feng Mu’s collar aggressively, yet his body stood firm on the floor, unmoving.

Tian Tao’s action suddenly halted, his face turned livid, and after taking a deep breath, his voice became cold and sinister:

"Feng Mu, do you think that by not collecting money from the prisoners, they’ll be grateful to you?"

Tian Tao didn’t wait for Feng Mu to answer, mockingly stated:

"They won’t, those wild dogs won’t appreciate you, they’ll only sniff out the nauseating scent of weakness on you, then pounce together and gnaw your bones to pieces."

Feng Mu remained composed, sincerely replying: "I know, which is why I never expected them to truly appreciate me!"

Tian Tao said no more, his finger coldly pointing to the door, his voice chilling to the bone: "I’m waiting for that day, when you’ll be torn apart with not even your bones remaining, hoping you won’t regret it then."

Feng Mu walked calmly towards the door, moving slowly outside, his demeanor graceful and composed, even politely closing the door gently.

Despite the captain’s rude attitude, Feng Mu maintained his gentle demeanor throughout, elevating politeness to an almost extreme degree.

As the door creaked shut, Feng Mu and Tian Tao’s gaze met briefly in the air.

Tian Tao looked at Feng Mu as if seeing a dead man, casually tossing the torn fabric strip into the trash can, inwardly mocking: "A naïve and foolish guy, I’m just waiting to collect your corpse."

Feng Mu’s expression remained gentle, but his eyes harbored a weird bloodline, faintly visible, as if he had already foreseen the silent fading of the blood bar above Tian Tao’s head into a dull gray.

When Feng Mu returned to the duty room, there was no one inside.

He walked to the locker, gently opened the door, and casually took out the thermos placed outside, gently putting it on the table before unscrewing the lid.

Feng Mu’s pupils slightly contracted, as a line of startling handwriting reflected in his eyes – "Second addition of spoiled food (17/20)."

His face didn’t show much surprise, merely sighing lightly, as he took out a specially made plastic bag from his pocket.

The plastic bag was custom-made by "Hong Ya’s Workshop," with excellent airtightness, originally intended to hold some severed limbs, but now used by Feng Mu to pack leftovers, which seemed a waste.

He carefully packed the leftovers into the bag, sealed it tightly, then gently tossed it into the washbasin under the bed, pushing it with his foot to the furthest corner of the wall.

Feng Mu stood up, carrying the thermos out the door, walking to the cafeteria, placing the thermos and a pile of dining dishes together to be collected and cleaned by prisoners later.

Prisoners are good for that, if you’re willing to give them a work opportunity, they can do anything well.

Although Feng Mu didn’t think highly of Second Prison’s efficiency in using prisoners, feeling these methods were too primitive and rough, he still appreciated Second Prison’s meticulous usage of prisoners in daily life.

Laundry, sewing, making furniture, washing dishes, cleaning vegetables, mopping floors, scrubbing toilets, and so on.

Any prisoner released from Second Prison would definitely be hardworking and multi-skilled.

Especially in the cleaning and housekeeping labor market, they could cause devastating impacts, driving market prices to the ground.

Wang Cong occasionally glanced towards the door during his meal, seemingly waiting for something.

When Feng Mu appeared in view with a thermos, he nonchalantly walked over and casually tossed his lunchbox into the wash basin.

"Finished eating?" Wang Cong casually asked, his tone slightly relaxed.

Feng Mu replied just as casually: "Yeah, finished."

Wang Cong nodded, walking towards the door, saying:

"Finally, Monday has arrived. I don’t have to work night shift tonight; I can go home and get a good sleep. How about you, can you still manage?"

Feng Mu lightly stretched his shoulders, massaging his stiff cheeks, showing a tired yet determined expression:

"It’s fine, I can manage. I’m particularly good at staying up late."

Wang Cong sighed, looking at Feng Mu’s forced demeanor:

"Who is really good at staying up late? Even a person of iron, after several nights, becomes exhausted, let alone you, who isn’t made of iron."

Feng Mu cooperatively rubbed his temples lightly; how could Wang Cong know that if Feng Mu’s skull weren’t severely overloaded with iron, his strength that could be controlled sometimes would have pressed his temples flat already.

Feng Mu met Wang Cong’s concerned gaze, lowering his voice conspiratorially: "Captain Wang Cong, I’ll tell you a secret, I really am made of iron."

Wang Cong felt a jolt, his ears involuntarily perking up, then drooping back, not taking it seriously and curling his lips dismissively.

Wang Cong reached the bathroom door, habitually unfastening the electric baton from his waist, casually handing it to Feng Mu, then went into the toilet stall.

He stood before the mirror, carefully washing his hands, while secretly glancing at Feng Mu standing at the door, who seemed unaware, waiting quietly.

Wang Cong took a tissue from his pocket, gently wiping each droplet from his hands, not missing a spot until his hands were completely dry.

Only then did he exit the restroom, taking back his electric baton, and naturally accepting the one from Feng Mu. The two batons looked identical on the outside, but only Wang Cong knew their differences.

Feng Mu entered the stall, gently closing the door.

Wang Cong’s gaze lingered on the door for three seconds, then he turned, his back towards the surveillance camera at the end of the corridor, quietly swapping the electric batons in his left and right hands.

The sound of a toilet flushing came from inside the restroom.

Feng Mu washed his hands in the mirror, then turned towards the door, where Wang Cong was already compassionately handing over a tissue.

"Wipe your hands," Wang Cong’s voice was gentle and friendly.

"Thank you," Feng Mu replied, his smile polite and gentle.

He took the tissue, carefully wiping each finger until no trace of water remained, then casually slung the electric baton Wang Cong handed him on his waist.

Wang Cong stood at the corridor door, lighting a cigarette, exhaling smoke rings, and asked Feng Mu:

"Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, how are things at home? Do you have any siblings?"

Feng Mu replied calmly:

"Yes, I have a sister in college, she’s a genius. The whole family has high hopes for her, believing and expecting her to have a bright future."

"My father is the chief constable at the patrol office, recently injured in the line of duty, lying in the hospital for a while, but should be discharged soon."

"As for my mother, she’s a woman with little initiative, quite pitiable."

Wang Cong listened attentively, memorizing the information, then deeply inhaled from his cigarette, feeling emotional:

"It sounds tough, oh Feng Mu, you’ve taught me a lot. If I ever get a chance, I must visit and thank your parents."

Upon hearing this, Feng Mu glanced at Wang Cong with deep meaning, inwardly sneering:

"Is this your way to resolve your inner guilt and feeling of betrayal? How amusing."

He remained outwardly composed, calmly stating: "There’s no need for that, Captain Wang Cong, just thanking me in the future is enough. I will take care of my own family."

"True enough!" Wang Cong crushed the cigarette butt, casually tossing it to the ground, then stomped on it several times, ensuring it was completely extinguished.

This scene was clearly recorded by the surveillance camera in the corridor.

Tian Tao stood in the surveillance room, watching the screen, having received the signal from Wang Cong.

He took out his phone, sending a text to the section chief Chang Wei: "Everything is ready, please give instructions!"